BIO 126 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Keystone Species, Starfish, Species Richness
26 May 2016
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Document Summary
Species whose effects on the composition of communities are disproportionately high based on abundance. Sea star predation on barnacles greatly alters the species richness of the marine community. Keystone species can manipulate the environment in ways that create new habitats for other species. Snake head fish are very aggressive and are invasive. It has its own predators and provides habitats for other organisms. Only a handful of sea stars are needed to take out a population of barnacles. Beavers can change the ecosystem and the pressures experienced by different species. Starfish eat barnacles, allowing other species to thrive instead of being crowded out by the explosive population of barnacles. Beavers construct dams and transform flowing streams into ponds, Create new habitats for many plants and animals. Ecological niche: niche: the total of all the ways an organism uses the resources of its environment. It comes down to a bunch of different pockets.
